Overview
- The attack in November 2023 on Parnell Square left several children and a creche worker injured and one child with life‑changing brain damage.
- Closing speeches finished on Monday, June 29, 2026, the defence confirmed it would not call evidence, and Mr Justice Tony Hunt began his charge to the jury on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
- Prosecutors relied on CCTV, forensic exhibits including a reported 36cm carving knife and blood‑stained clothing, eyewitness accounts and recorded Garda interviews to argue intent to kill.
- The defence urged jurors to reject public anger, questioned whether the prosecution met the extraordinarily high legal test for attempted murder and asked them to consider lesser verdicts such as causing serious harm.
- The jury will now deliberate on eight separate counts with possible outcomes ranging from attempted murder to lesser assault charges, a decision that will determine criminal liability and shape community confidence in child safety responses.